


Homecoming

by Nachtkind



Series: The Long Road [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Torture, Klaus Hargreeves Gets A Hug, Not s02 compliant, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28900002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nachtkind/pseuds/Nachtkind
Summary: This is a one-shot set in the same universe as the companion piece, Those Who Wander are Not Lost.  Klaus returns to the academy and has a conversation with Vanya about the past.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves
Series: The Long Road [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119338
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Strongly recommend reading the first work in this series. This story picks up after the events of the main story.

“Hey, where’s Klaus? He should be back by now,” Ben asks the room.

“He said he wanted to ‘freshen up’, but that was like 20 minute ago.” Luther sounds concerned, but not worried. Everyone is concerned about Klaus these days; it has been a few months since Ben and Luther had reunited with Klaus in Colorado, a few months of Luther trying unsuccessfully to convince Klaus to come back to the academy with him. Luther had finally resigned himself that it would never happen when out of the blue Klaus called him up and asked Luther to buy him a bus ticket home. When word got out, all the siblings had cleared their weekend to spend it together; even Allison had flown in from LA. 

“He wasn’t upstairs; I just came from there,” Allison adds.

“I saw which way he went. I’ll go check on him,” Vanya offers.

“Are you sure he’s going to appreciate that? If he left, it probably means he wants some space,” says Five.

“Shush it,” Diego points at Five and gives him a glare. “He’s had enough space.”

Ben’s eyes crinkle with worry when he sees which way Vanya is headed, but he doesn’t follow her. Of all the siblings, Ben knows she is the best at being a comforting shoulder, having served that role for almost all of them at one time or another.

Vanya makes her way down the hall, pausing to check the hall bathroom. She sighs when it is empty; she was hoping to find Klaus in there because there is only one other place he could have been headed down this hallway. She walks down the dim corridor, past several dark, utilitarian rooms – mostly unfurnished – and stops in front of a room that looks distinctly different from any other in the wing. The walls are a bright sunny yellow. The room is completely devoid of furniture, but a large, crooked rainbow arches across one of the walls. There are no drapes, and sunlight floods the room.

Klaus is standing in the middle of the empty space, back to the door, arms wrapped tightly around his body, hands clasped to his elbows. “Klaus?” Vanya asks. When he doesn’t answer she reaches out to step into his field of vision and lightly places a hand on his arms. “Are you ok?”

Klaus looks up as if waking from a dream. He stares blankly at her face for a minute, “Vanya, hi – I didn’t hear you come in. What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you. We were all wondering where you had gotten to.” Vanya looks at Klaus’ face, trying to gauge how he is doing. “What happened?”

“Oh, just visiting my old stomping grounds. I must say, I didn’t expect this! What happened in here – it must be recent because there is no way dad could ever allow this much color in one room. It’s so tacky – I love it.” Klaus waves his arms to indicate the garishly painted walls. He catches Vanya staring at his hands, which are noticeably shaking and tucks them back around his waist.

Vanya looks around the room and a small smile touches the corners of her mouth, although her eyes still look worried. “The weekend after Five found the videos of..” she hesitates, “your training, Luther called some of us over to help redecorate the room. He said he couldn’t sleep another night in the house with this room still looking the same way it did thirteen years ago. We all came over and painted it – I’m glad you like the color – we picked one we hoped you would like.”

“And that god-awful, fabulous rainbow?”

“That was Diego’s idea.”

“I should have known.” He studies it. “It looks like it was painted by a really talented fifth grader,” Klaus says, smiling. He looks up at Vanya and goes serious. “And the table?” Klaus is referring to the table where Reginald would strap him down for his resurrection training sessions, where their dad would kill Klaus over and over, believing it was some ability Klaus could train for and not something completely out of Klaus’ control.

Vanya grimaces, “That was the first thing to go.”

“I’m touched,” Klaus says, “and I 100% agree with the sentiment, but you guys missed something.”

Vanya turns to him and reaches for his hand, “What?”

Klaus gestures at the ceiling above them with his free hand. “None of this has changed a bit. I used to lie on my back for hours staring at this ceiling. This spot here,” he points at a faint grey spot near the middle of the room, “this would be the last thing I would see. Grace would stand right next to me here, in case I started yelling, and I would stare at that spot so I wouldn’t have to see her face.”

Vanya looks stricken. “Klaus... I can’t even imagine.”

Klaus doesn’t say anything for a long time. “I’m going to grab a smoke, want to come with me?”

Vanya looks back towards the room where the rest of the family is still waiting.

“Fuck em Vanny, they can wait a little longer. I can’t go back there yet. Come on.” Klaus walks over to the window and starts to pull it open.

“Klaus, what are you doing? We can’t go through the window.”

“What part of I can’t go back there yet did you not follow. Come on, we’re on the ground floor – this will be easy.” Klaus has one leg out the window and is struggling to get the second out, but he’s hindered by the bushes his first leg is tangled up in. He manages to stumble out the window and reaches back in to offer Vanya a hand. With his help, she makes it out with considerably more grace. “You’ll be a dear and come back to lock the window, right?”

“Sure, I’ll do that.”

The day is clear and sunny; Klaus closes his eyes and lifts his face to feel the warmth on his eyelids. “There, isn’t that better? Come on, let’s sit down.”

They circle around the corner of the house and sit on the small stone bench in the courtyard. “I bet Ben doesn’t miss his statue. The courtyard is so much more pleasant without it, don’t you think? It looked nothing like him anyway.”

Vanya nods but doesn’t say anything. She looks up at Klaus, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Excuse me?”

“When we were kids. Why didn’t you tell us what was happening to you?”

Klaus sighs heavily, “At first.. it was to protect everyone. And Ben. Five was working on the equations for saving Ben; he needed a stable timeline to get those right – there was nothing anybody could do to help me that wouldn’t put Ben back at risk. I didn’t want to put anyone in the position where they had to choose between me or Ben.”

“Five could have reworked the calculations. We would have figured something out.”

“Yeah, I realized that later, but back then... I don’t know Vanya; it just hurt so bad. I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t talk about it – I was in such a dark place, I felt so alone. Everyone was getting closer – even Luther and Diego were getting along – and I was just getting more and more apart. It felt like I was shut out.”

“We wanted you there Klaus, no one wanted to shut you out.”

“I know... but it felt that way. And even if nobody meant to do it, it happened that way didn’t it? And then the ghosts started getting really bad. We were doing more missions and every time there were more ghosts coming back with us. Without the drugs, it was so hard to even be in the same room as the others. I was _super_ fatalistic – it was like I was destined to be alone.”

“You could have come to me. I wouldn’t have had any ghosts.” Klaus doesn’t tell Vanya about the nannies he helped pass on when he saw her earlier that day.

“I didn’t want to _come_ to anybody. I wanted someone to notice; I wanted someone to come to _me_. It’s stupid I know, because Ben was just waiting for me to reach out to him, but I was alone and suffering and, honestly, I just wanted it to stick – I just wanted to go into that room one day and not have to come back out.”

“Oh Klaus...” Vanya reaches out to pull Klaus into her arms and he rests his head against her.

“Once we time jumped back, and I forgot everything, it actually got easier because then I could just leave... I really was alone then.”

“I’m so sorry we weren’t there for you.” Her eyes are wet, and she doesn’t try to stop the tears from pooling down to fall into Klaus’ curls. “We want to be here for you now.” She rubs her hand along his back and Klaus doesn’t say anything, but he does nod his head slightly.

“There you are, we’ve been looking for you,” Diego says, walking out into the courtyard. He stops abruptly when he comprehends the emotional scene in front of him. “Everything ok here?”

Klaus uncurls and wipes his eyes. “Yeah Dee, it’s fine. We’ll be there in a sec, ok? Just give me a minute.”

Diego looks to Vanya who gestures with her head that Diego can head back in.

“Ok?” Vanya asks. “You don’t have to go back until you’re ready. Like you said, they can wait a little longer.”

“No, let’s go. I’m ready to go back.” Klaus is more than ready; he has spent two lifetimes estranged from his family and he’s determined to make the best of the time they have left. It isn’t easy, but it is so much better than being alone.


End file.
